Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-343517 discloses a suction cap for an IC socket and an IC socket assembly that utilizes the suction cap, in which a slide member is driven by a cam shaft. The suction cap comprises a flat suction surface and latch arms for latching and engaging with an insulative housing of an IC socket. The latch arms latch and engage with a central opening of the flat insulative housing to fix the suction cap to the IC socket when the suction cap is placed on an IC package mounting surface of the IC socket. Electrical connections between an IC package and contacts, which are housed in the housing, are established by the sliding motion of the slide member.
When a loading plate is used with this structure, there is not sufficient resistance against deformation of the housing, which would be caused by pressure from the loading plate. If a configuration is adopted in which the loading plate is not loaded, then the lever cannot be fixed.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2(1990)-86090 discloses another type of IC socket, in which electrical connections are established between the IC socket and an IC package by use of a lever. The lever drives a slide member so that it slides along the IC socket, to establish electrical connections between the IC package and the IC socket. A suction cap is not employed in this IC socket.
If a suction surface is provided on the slide member of this structure, space must be provided on the slide member for the suction surface. Accordingly, the area available for electrical contacts becomes restricted, and this structure becomes difficult to apply to an IC package having a great number of contacts.
The two IC sockets described above establish electrical connections between IC packages and IC sockets via a slide member, which is driven by a lever or a cam. There are other IC sockets, in which electrical connections are established by pressing an IC package against an IC socket with a loading plate.
Generally, suction caps are built into IC sockets prior to shipping. Levers are configured to be substantially parallel to the housings of the IC sockets during use to reduce the height of the IC sockets. Accordingly, for IC sockets that utilize loading plates, the loading plates are in contact with the housings. In this state, there is a risk that force will be exerted on the housings during shipment, resulting in the housings being deformed during the period between shipment and mounting onto circuit boards. If the housings are deformed, the bottom surfaces, that is, circuit board mounting surfaces thereof will not be parallel to the circuit boards. Therefore, there is a risk that the reliability of the electrical connections between the IC sockets and the circuit boards will deteriorate.